THE SHADOW THEATRE OF ANAPHORIA

Founded in 1996, performances of our shadow theatre have included presentations at The Norton Simon Museum of Art, The Pacific Asia Museum (Los Angeles), New Langton Arts (San Francisco), The Stella Adler Theater (Hollywood), and served as the resident company of the Folly Bowl, a special outdoor amphitheatre constructed to provide a unique environment for our work.

The Shadow Theatre of Anaphoria appears to be the first shadow company to use puppets from a wide range of shadow puppet traditions. It recognizes each as an exile in Anaphoria, retaining their identities while widening their perspectives as they encounter others. Out of great respect, we carefully act to prevent the mere secularization of sacred objects.

After more than 15 years, the theatre has grown to create its own puppets. These are designed to bridge the gaps left in traditional sources. Some of the least represented and differentiated puppets are female puppets, which is a current focus for the Shadow Theatre of Anaphoria. Our activities have also extended into installations that include many of the important artifacts of the company which has now relocated to Wollongong, Australia. We are interested in expanding our numbers and activities. To be added to our e-mail
announcement list or expressions of interest
please drop us a message.

More details of our history and underlying spirit can be found at the bottom of this page. The instruments of the shadow theatre can be seen here.

Here is an installation put together using recent puppets as an addition to our performance practices

TEN BLACK EYE was presented at Stella Adler Theater Oct. 27, 1996 and was Assembled by Kraig Grady, Roger Mexico, Brad Smith, and
Yelena Tokman.
The title TEN
BLACK EYE comes
from the Anaphorian word, ten, the word for shadow, and Black Eye the
translation
of the word Fum, a character found in these stories. Mt. Meru is the
holiest
of mountains as well as a divine mathematical sequence.
TEN BLACK EYE is an
exposition
into some
of
the
fundamental
beliefs behind the medium of the shadow play. The shadow world is
understood
as an intermediary world between the living and the dead. The
characters
Prince and Fum examine their paths to truth.

Some
notes concerning BLACK EYE
MERU, HER
STIRRING
STONE and
THEIR
VENTURE
BEYOND THEIR HORIZONS
In
recent years , The shadow
play
has
experienced
an explosion of new works. One dominant force has been the playwright
known
as Isafa. There is a mystery that clouds the identity of this
individual. Only through selected puppet masters, sworn to secrecy, have these
plays
been made public. Rumors have varied from Isafa being a woman of
notoriety to Isafa being a collective endeavor. All these rumors have
to
be looked at as just that-rumors. The unique style though points toward
a remarkable individual of unique vision. As opposed to a strong
narrative,
Isafa presents us with a labyrinth of signposts. Although
linear,
Isafa's devices have a way of potentiating our own personal
interpretations.

The traditional belief in states that the
movement of
evil
forces
is said to be the cause of earthquakes. This tradition also states that
there
are special cases, as when they coincide with religious artifacts in
transit.
Here it is believed that the evil forces are fleeing the powers
imbedded
in these sacred objects. To remove them would only allow these evil
forces
to return. The custom has been to permanently house these artifacts at
an appropriate location in the region to prevent these evil forces.
That
the first arrival of the sacred artifacts of the shadow theatre
coincided
with the Northridge Earthquake, it was realized that these artifacts of
the shadow theatre would have to stay. See Statement
of Purpose.

HISTORY

The Anaphorian shadow play
owes a
great
part
of
its
development to the immigrants and exiles coming from such diverse
regions
as Indonesia, India, Turkey, and Greece. These rich traditions served
as
a further inspiration to an already growing art form. Anaphorian shadow
plays have developed beyond a mere synthesis of influences into a
creation
of their own unique theatre. Legend states that Prince Mita on the
death
of his bride enshrined her image in shadow. It was under his great
patronage
that the shadow play blossomed establishing such classics as "The Three
Frivolous Battles" Throughout history these traditional epics have been
augmented with explosions of new myths and stories. In recent years,
stories
of film origin have found their way into the shadow theatre. This is
surprising
since film has never gotten a hold beyond a limited audience despite
the
international recognition of more than a few of its filmmakers. The
great
popularity of shadow theatre can be illustrated by the fact that time
and
time again the great Anaphorian filmmakers have returned to the shadow
theatre bringing with it a new inspiration as well as a renewed
respect.
The Shadow Play, Ten Black Eye represents this new tradition that
remains
informed by combinations of past, present and its own future.

PRACTICE

The mixture and superposition
of
cultural
influences
have nurtured a shadow theatre that transcends being a mere
conglomerate.
Historically, due to its patronage, this theatre has been able to
afford
the luxury of larger ensembles. There is a trend toward the
dispensing
of the walls between the playing of music and the operation of puppets
with those behind the screen producing shadows one moment and playing
music
the next. There is no fast and set rule though with some participating
in one function. The polytheistic beliefs of the shadow troupes make
the
symbology of "multiple sources of light and shadow" meaningful. The
result
being the adoption of controllable electric light to separate parts of
the screen and characters. This practice allows much of the screen at
times
to remain dark offending members of the older schools fearing a
dominance
of the dark forces. These opponents on the other hand recognize a
marked
difference between a darkness of evil and a darkness as "a basis of
possible
vibrations" and well as a symbol of "the vast unknown".

MUSIC

The music of the shadow
play
has
a
unique
history.
in the late nineteenth century, there occurred on our island what is
known
as the Great Missionary Expulsion. As a result, many western
instruments
were abandoned by their owners. For years they remained
neglected.
At one point, an instrument builder from Lipari realized that the reed
organs could be retuned to a slendro-like scale and proceeded to do so.
Very pleased with the sound, he spread the word. At first, the
tuning
was comprised of two sets of pentatonics, one slightly higher than the
other. After some time they found that if they took the traditional
Slendro scale and utilized a version derived from a 4,000 year old
diagram known in India as Meru Prastara, the two remaining tones could
be tuned as one of the scales implied by the diagram, thereby using all
12 retuned tones on the western instruments. Some attempts were made
with pelog-like scales,but forming cycles of 5,7,9 or 14 tones did not
fill out instruments with
a 12 pitch cycle. Soon a whole array of retuned instruments emerged,
deceptively
looking like their western counterparts but bearing no resemblance in
sound. The instruments of the shadow theatre can be seen here.